Clothesline line tightener

ABSTRACT

A clothesline connector for connecting two ends of a clothesline to each other to form a loop. The connector has a frame and two spring loaded gripping members. The frame is a two piece assembly having a top piece ultrasonically welded to top ends of pivot posts on a bottom piece. The gripping members are pivotably mounted on the pivot posts and have finger contact sections. A user can move the finger contact sections towards each other with a single hand to open a path between the two gripping members.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part patent application of U.S. applicationSer. No. 08/901,098 filed Jul. 28, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,853;and U.S. application Ser. No. 29/085,591 filed Mar. 26, 1998, now U.S.Pat. No. Des. 408,714.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a clamp for a cord.

2. Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,061 discloses a clamp cleat with two cam membersspring loaded towards each other by coil springs. U.S. Pat. No.2,315,196 discloses a pair of spring loaded movable jaws with extensionsto manually move the jaws away from each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention a clotheslineconnector is provided for connecting two ends of a clothesline to eachother to form a loop. The clothesline connector comprises a firstconnection area and a second connection area. The first connection areais adapted to fixedly connect a first one of the ends of the clotheslineto the connector. The second connection area is for adjustablyconnecting a second one of the ends of the clothesline to the connector.The second connection area has a through hole enclosed on all sidesexcept an entry and an exit for axially longitudinally inserting thesecond end into the second connection area. The first connection area iscoaxially aligned with the through hole.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention a cordclamp is provided comprising a frame and two gripping members. The framehas a first frame member with a first cord connection area and two pivotposts. The two gripping members are pivotally mounted on the pivot postsforming a second cord connection area with a channel to axiallylongitudinally pass an end of a cord therethrough and grip the corddirectly between the two gripping members. The first frame member isshaped to align the first cord connection area at an end of a path ofinsertion of the cord through the channel to thereby align the firstcord connection area with the channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and other features of the invention are explainedin the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clothesline connector incorporatingfeatures of the present invention and two ends of a clothesline;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the connector shown in FIG. 2 takenalong line 3—3;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 6 is an elevational side view of the connector shown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of a connector 10incorporating features of the present invention. Although the presentinvention will be described with reference to the embodiments shown inthe drawings, it should be understood that features of the presentinvention could be embodied in many different types of alternativeembodiments. In addition, any suitable size, shape or type of elementsor materials could be used.

The connector 10 is adapted to connect two ends A, B of a clothesline Cto each other to form a clothesline loop. Referring also to FIGS. 2-4,the connector 10 generally comprises a frame 12, two pawls or grippingmember 14, 15 and two coil springs 16, 17. The frame 12 is comprised oftwo one-piece members preferably made of a polymer or plastic material;a first bottom frame member 18 and a second top frame member 20. Thebottom frame member 18 has a general triangular shaped base section witha through-hole 22, two pivot posts 24, 25 and two spring posts 26, 27.The front of the bottom frame member 18 having the through-hole 22 formsa first connector area adapted to fixedly connect the first end A of theclothesline to the connector 10. In alternate embodiments, other typesof first connection areas could be provided. However, the through-hole22 is preferred because it is integrally formed with the bottom framemember 18 without any additional parts. The first end A can be knottedas shown to prevent pull-through of the end through the hole 22 or tiedonto the front end of the bottom frame member 18. The rear end of thebottom frame member 18, in combination with the other members of theconnector, forms a second connection area adapted to adjustably connectthe second end B of the clothesline C to the connector 10. The two pivotposts 24, 25 have holes 28, 29. The top frame member 20 has two recesses30, 31 and holes 32, 33. The top ends of the pivot posts 24, 25 arereceived in the recesses 30, 31 such that the holes 28, 29 and 32, 33are aligned. This forms two through-holes through the posts 24, 25 formounting fasteners 60 (see FIG. 3) to connect the connector 10 toanother member 62 (see FIG. 3) if desired. Preferably, the top andbottom frame members are ultrasonically welded together. However,additional or alternative means could be provided to fixedly connect thetwo frame members together.

The two pawls 14, 15 are essentially mirror images of each other. Eachpawl has a hole 34, a bottom recess 36, a gripping surface 38, and afinger contact projection 40. The pawls 14, 15 are rotatably mounted ontheir respective pivot posts 24, 25 with the posts being received in theholes 34. The top frame piece 20 keeps the pawls 14, 15 retained on thepivot posts 24, 25. The two gripping surface 38 face each other and forma gripping area 42 therebetween.

The gripping area 42 is formed as a through-hole by the pawls 14, 15 andtwo frame members 18, 20. This through-hole is enclosed on all sidesexcept an entry 44 and an exit 46. As seen by arrow D in FIG. 1, becausethe gripping area 42 is substantially enclosed, except for the entry 44and the exit 46, the second end B of the clothesline C must be axiallylongitudinally inserted into the gripping area 42 in order to begripped.

The two coil springs 16, 17 are located in respective ones of the bottomrecesses 36 in the pawls 14, 15. The coil springs 16, 17 are mountedaround the pivot posts 24, 25 and have projecting ends. The recesses 36are generally circular, but include an extension section 48. Theprojecting ends of the coil springs 16, 17 are located in the extensionsections 48. A first end 50 of each coil spring is located against oneside of its respective spring post 26, 27. A second end 52 of eachspring is located against a side wall 54 in the extension section 48.The second ends 52 have a 30° bend to insure good contact with the sidewall 54. The opposite side wall 56 in the extension section 48 is biasedby the springs against the spring posts 26, 27. Thus, the spring posts26, 27, in addition to functioning as a locator for the first ends 50 ofthe springs 16, 17, also function as a limit or stop for limitingrotational movement of the pawls 14, 15 on the frame 12.

The connector 10 can be used to connect the two ends A, B of theclothesline to each other. The first end A is connected to the front ofthe frame 12 at the hole 22. The second end B is inserted as shown byarrow D in FIG. 1 into the gripping area 42. The two pawls 14, 15 spreadapart by rotating on their pivot posts 24, 25 to allow the second end Bto pass through the gripping area. The user can then pull the second endB through the exit 46 to make the clothesline loop taunt. The springs16, 17 bias the gripping surfaces 38 against the clothesline C tofixedly capture the clothesline therebetween. Because the frame 12encloses the top and bottom sides of the gripping area 42, theclothesline can only be removed from the gripping area by moving thegripping surfaces 38 apart and then withdrawing the second end B in adirection reverse to the direction D. The finger contact projections 40have been provided, extending from the rear end of the frame, to allow auser to accomplish this. With a single hand, a user can move the twoprojections 40 towards each other as indicated by arrows E in FIG. 2.This pivots the two pawls 14, 15 to enlarge the gripping area 42. Theprojections 40 can also be used to enlarge the gripping area 42 wheninitially inserting the second end B into the gripping area. Theclothesline C can be tightened by pulling on second end B, slidingthrough the area 42, and the springs 16, 17 then causing the surfaces 38to grip the clothesline C therebetween to prevent inadvertentwithdrawal. Thus, the connector 10 functions both as a connector and asan easy to use line tightener.

In addition to being used as a clothesline connector and line tightener,the connector 10 could be used to connect or clamp two ends of anysuitable cords or ropes. In addition, the connector 10 could bestationarily connected to another member and used as a clamp or cleat.This is illustrated by broken lines in FIG. 3. Two fasteners 60 can beinserted in the holes 28, 32 and 29, 33 to attach to a member 62. Athird fastener (not shown) could be inserted in the hole 22 andconnected to the member 62. Other types of connections of the connector10 to members other than the line or card could also be provided.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a perspective view of an alternate embodimentof the connector is shown. In this embodiment the connector 100generally comprises a frame 112 and two spring loaded pawls 114, 115.The frame 112 has a bottom frame member 118 and a top frame member 120.The bottom frame member 118 has a through-hole 122 and two pivot posts.The pawls 114, 115 are pivotably mounted on the pivot posts. Thethrough-hole 122 forms a first connection area for connecting a firstend of a cord. An area 142 between the two pawls 114, 115 forms a secondconnection area for connecting a second end of a cord. The connector 100is substantially the same as the connector 10 shown in FIGS. 1-4 exceptfor the bottom frame member 118.

Referring also to FIG. 6, the bottom frame member 118, is a one-piecemember which has a bent section 124 located between two flat sections126, 128. The two flat sections 126, 128 are generally parallel andoffset relative to each other. The pivot posts extend from the rear flatsection 128. The hole 122 is in the front flat section 126. The bendsection 124 has a general elongated “S” shape and includes stiffeningribs 130,132 on its top and bottom sides. The bent section 124 allowsthe first connection area with the hole 122 to be generally coaxiallyaligned with the through-hole between the pawls 114, 115 of the secondconnection area 142. Thus, forces A, B exerted by opposite ends of thecord at the two connection areas, are aligned with each other to preventthe connector from canting. Thus, the pawls 114, 115 can exert maximumgripping force on the cord with their teeth aligned perpendicular to thepath of the cord through the second connection area 142. In alternateembodiments the bottom frame member or frame could have any suitableshape to align the two connection areas with each other.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is onlyillustrative of the invention. Various alternative and modifications canbe devises by those skilled in the art without departing from theinvention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace allsuch alternative, modifications and variances which fall within thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A clothesline connector for connecting two endsof a clothesline to each other to form a loop, the clothesline connectorcomprising: a first connection area adapted to fixedly connect a firstone of the ends of the clothesline to the connector; a second connectionarea for adjustably connecting a second one of the ends of theclothesline to the connector, the second connection area having athrough-hole enclosed on all sides except an entry and an exit foraxially longitudinally inserting the second end into the secondconnection area, wherein the first connection area is coaxially alignedwith the through-hole; and at least one spring biased gripping memberdisposed in said second connection area.
 2. A clothesline connector asin claim 1 wherein the connector comprises a bottom frame member whichforms portions of both the first and second connection areas.
 3. Aclothesline connector as in claim 2 wherein the bottom frame member hasa bent section.
 4. A clothesline connector as in claim 3 wherein thebottom frame member has two parallel and offset flat sections onopposite sides of the bent section.
 5. A clothesline connector as inclaim 3 wherein the bottom frame member has structural reinforcing ribson opposite sides of the bent section.
 6. A clothesline connector as inclaim 3 wherein the bent section has an elongated “S” shape.
 7. Aclothesline connector as in claim 1 wherein the connector comprises aframe having a bottom frame member with two pivot posts having twogripping members pivotally mounted thereon.
 8. A cord clamp comprising:a frame having a first frame member with a first cord connection areaand two pivot posts; and two gripping members pivotably mounted on thetwo pivot posts forming a second cord connection area with a channel toaxially longitudinally pass an end of a cord therethrough and grip thecord directly between the two gripping members, said gripping membersbeing individually spring biased; wherein the first frame member isshaped to align the first cord connection area at an end of a path ofinsertion of the cord through the channel to thereby align the firstcord connection area with the channel.
 9. A cord clamp as in claim 8wherein the frame member has a bent section.
 10. A cord clamp as inclaim 9 wherein the frame member has two parallel and offset flatsections on opposite sides of the bent section.
 11. A cord clamp as inclaim 9 wherein the frame member has structural reinforcing ribs onopposite sides of the bent section.
 12. A cord clamp as in claim 9wherein the bent section has an elongated “S” shape.